Read Like A Writer

There are two ways to learn how to write fiction: by reading it and by writing it. Yes, you can learn lots about writing stories in workshops, in writing classes and writing groups, at writers' conferences. You can learn technique and process by reading the dozens of books like this one on fiction writing and by reading articles in writers' magazines. But the best teachers of fiction are the great works of fiction themselves. You can learn more about the structure of a short story by reading Anton Chekhov's 'Heartache' than you can in a semester of Creative Writing 101. If you read like a writer, that is, which means you have to read everything twice, at least. When you read a story or novel the first time, just let it happen. Enjoy the journey. When you've finished, you know where the story took you, and now you can go back and reread, and this time notice how the writer reached that destination. Notice the choices he made at each chapter, each sentence, each word. (Every word is a choice.) You see now how the transitions work, how a character gets across a room. All this time you're learning. You loved the central character in the story, and now you can see how the writer presented the character and rendered her worthy of your love and attention. The first reading is creative—you collaborate with the writer in making the story. The second reading is critical.


John Dufresne, from his book, The Lie That Tells A Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction

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Wednesday, May 25, 2022

A Study of the Short Story by Henry Seidel Canby, 1878-1961

A Study of the Short Story by Henry Seidel Canby, 1878-1961


A Study of the Short Story  

 

by Henry Seidel Canby, 1878-1961 

 

 

Contents WHAT IS A SHORT STORY? 1 THE SHORT STORY OF THE RENAISSANCE 13 THE SHORT STORY OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 22 POE AND THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE 30 NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE 39 ENGLAND IN THE MIDCENTURY 45 ENGLAND IN THE MIDCENTURY 45 The FURTHER BROADENING OF THE FIELD OF THE SHORT 54 The DeepeNING OF THE SHORT STORY Henry JAMES 60 THE PARDONERS TALE 79 The PRIORESSES TALE 87 THE VISION OF MIRZA 95 The LINGERING EXPECTATION 101 WANDERING Willies Tale Sir Walter Scott 145 ETHAN BRAND 195 RAB AND HIS FRIENDS 208 Copyright THE SHORT STORY IN ENGLAND RUDYARD KIPLING 67

 Contents

WHAT IS A SHORT STORY?
    1
    
THE SHORT STORY OF THE RENAISSANCE
    13
    
THE SHORT STORY OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
    22
    
POE AND THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE
    30
    
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
    39
    
ENGLAND IN THE MIDCENTURY
    45
    
THE FURTHER BROADENING OF THE FIELD OF THE SHORT
    54
    
The DEEPENING OF THE SHORT STORY HENRY JAMES
    60

THE SHORT STORY IN ENGLAND RUDYARD KIPLING
    67
    
THE PARDONERS TALE
    79
    
The PRIORESSES TALE
    87
    
THE VISION OF MIRZA
    95
    
The LINGERING EXPECTATION
    101
    
WANDERING WILLIES TALE SIR WALTER SCOTT
    145
    
ETHAN BRAND
    195
    
RAB AND HIS FRIENDS
    208
    
Copyright


About the Author 

Henry Seidel Canby
Henry Seidel Canby was a critic, editor, and Yale University professor. A scion of a Quaker family that arrived in Wilmington, Delaware, around 1740 and grew to regional prominence through milling and business affairs, Henry Seidel Canby was a son of Edward T. Canby. Canby was born in Wilmington, and attended Wilmington Friends School. He graduated from Yale in 1899, then taught at the university until becoming a professor in 1922. Wikipedia


Born: September 6, 1878, United States
Died: April 5, 1961, Ossining, NY
Education: Yale University


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